Sailing Directions for Sausalito

The entrance to the Sausalito channel is marked by the Spinnaker restaurant to port, and a red daymark to starboard. Once past the restaurant, observe the 5 kph speed limit. The Spinnaker restaurant does not have a sign visible from the water but it is quite prominent and has bright lights that make it obvious as night.

Most of Richardson bay is very shallow and should not be entered, except by shoal-draft craft when the tide is high, without local knowledge. The area immediately to starboard of the channel is the main anchorage and is considerably deeper at the south-east edge (closest to the bay) than in the inner areas. There is one rock in the bay: Cone Rock. It is marked by a buoy and is closer to Belvedere than to Sausalito; it is well east of the normal anchorage area.

Past Pelican Marina there is an area of open water to port with numerous moored boats. Parts of this area are very shallow and there are some submerged hazards.

The channel continues to Richardson Bay Marina, the northernmost marina in Sausalito. Do not go past this marina without local knowledge, and even then, only at high tide.

For further details, check out the Coast Pilot.

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